Davy Jones, from left, joined Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork to form the Monkees.

Davy Jones, from left, joined Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork to form the Monkees.

Photo: Henry Diltz

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FILE - This Nov.11, 2009 file photo shows musician Davy Jones attending the 43rd Annual Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Jones died Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 in Florida. He was 66. Jones rose to fame in 1965 when he joined The Monkees, a British popular rock group formed for a television show. Jones sang lead vocals on songs like "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer." (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File) less

FILE - This Nov.11, 2009 file photo shows musician Davy Jones attending the 43rd Annual Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Jones died Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 in Florida. He was 66. Jones rose to fame in ... more

Photo: Peter Kramer

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(FILE PHOTO) It has been reported that British actor and musician Davy Jones of The Monkees has died of a heartattack at the age of 66 on February 29, 2012.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Davey Jones of The Monkees poses during portrait session to announce the bands 45th anniversary tour held at The Groucho Club on February 21, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) less

(FILE PHOTO) It has been reported that British actor and musician Davy Jones of The Monkees has died of a heartattack at the age of 66 on February 29, 2012.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Davey Jones of The ... more

Photo: Dave J Hogan

Singer Davy Jones of the Monkees dies

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Davy Jones, the heartthrob singer who helped propel the made-for-TV rock band the Monkees to the top of the pop charts as an American version of the Beatles, died Wednesday. He was 66.

His publicist, Helen Kensick, confirmed Jones died of a heart attack in Indiantown, where he had lived.

Jones had stylishly long hair, boyish good looks and a British accent that endeared him to legions of screaming young fans after "The Monkees" premiered on CBS in 1966.

Aspirations of Beatles-like fame were never fully achieved, however, as the TV show lasted just two years. But the Monkees made rock 'n' roll history as the band galvanized a wide American following with love-struck hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer" that endure even today.

Born in Manchester, England, on Dec. 30, 1945, Jones became a child star in his native country, appearing on television and stage, including a heralded role as "The Artful Dodger" in the play "Oliver!" in London.

He earned a Tony nomination at 16 when he reprised that role in the show's Broadway production, a success that brought him to the attention of Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems Television, which created "The Monkees."

The show, clearly patterned on the Beatle's film "A Hard Days Night," displayed the comic trials and tribulations of a rock group whose four members lived together and traveled to gigs in a tricked-out car called the Monkeemobile. Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz starred with him.

The first single, "Last Train to Clarksville," became a No. 1 hit. And the show caught on with audiences, featuring fast-paced, helter-skelter comedy inspired as much by the Marx Brothers as the Beatles.

It was a shrewd case of cross-platform promotion. As David Bianculli noted in his "Dictionary of Teleliteracy," "The show's self-contained music videos, clear forerunners of MTV, propelled the group's first seven singles to enviable positions of the pop charts: three number ones, two number twos, two number threes."

After the show's launch, the Monkees came under fire from music critics when it was learned that session musicians - and not the group's members - had played the musical instruments on their recordings. They were derided as the "Prefab Four," an insulting comparison to the Beatles' nickname, the "Fab Four."

In reality, Jones could play the drums and guitar, and although Dolenz learned to play the drums after he joined the group, he could also play guitar, as could Nesmith.

Nesmith also wrote several of the Monkees' songs, as well as songs for others. Tork, who played bass and keyboards on the TV show, was a multi-instrumentalist.

The group eventually prevailed over the show's producers, including music director Don Kirchner, and began to play their own instrumentals.

Regardless, the group was supported by enviable talent and scored 12 Top 40 hits.

Many also remember Jones from a widely seen episode of "The Brady Bunch," in which he makes an appearance at Marcia Brady's school dance.

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After "The Monkees" was canceled in 1968 after 58 episodes, Jones continued to tour with the other Monkees for a time, sometimes playing the drums at concerts when Dolenz came up front to sing. The group eventually broke up over creative differences, although it did reunite from time to time for brief tours over the years, usually without Nesmith.

All four, however, came together for a 1996 album, "Justus," and a subsequent TV movie "Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees!" that saw them still living in the same house and still traveling in the Monkeemobile.